Precision Pool and Spa

News Extend Gunite Pool Season Heat

Autumn in Rochester

Summer’s long nights are being replaced by autumn’s cool breezes. Upstate New Yorkers are trading in their marshmallowey s’mores and bathing suits for pumpkin spice and muck boots. Open windows are being pulled shut and preparations for winter are emerging everywhere. Pools are being closed, shorts are getting packed away and the birds are migrating. But winter isn’t here just yet and that is great news for all of the warm weather lovers out there!

If you’re a warm weather fan, there are a few things you can do to hang on to the sunshine season without traveling south with the geese.

Optimizing Gunite Pool Heat

You don’t need to be a polar plunger to enjoy the pool beyond August. All you need is a higher temperature for the water. This doesn’t mean you have to turn your swimming pool into a sauna, it just means you can raise it up a notch to take the bite out of the autumn air. Here are some concepts as to how and why your pool can hold onto that heat and you can keep swimming.

  • Geothermal heat retention. Imagine your favorite travel mug for a moment. Have you ever watched a barista heat up your coffee mug before pouring coffee into the mug? By having a material already heated around the liquid, you are conditioning that mug, which will keep your coffee warmer, longer. Your gunite pool is a huge heat sink that has the heat retained from the ground around it. This time of year, that keeps your water temperature from dropping faster than the other the air temperature outside does.
  • Put a lid on it. With your pool surrounded by a warm cozy layer of gunite, the number one cause of heat loss is out the top. An insulated solar cover this time of year doesn’t bring heat in with the solar rays, but helps insulate and retain that heat, especially at night when the air temperature drops.
  • Temperature Homeostasis. Homeo-what-sis? Let’s stick with the home analogy to describe this one. During the cold season it is normal to have the temperature on the thermostat change based on whether the family is home or out and about. When doing this, it’s important to make sure the change is minimal because more energy (and likewise more money) is used to raise the temperature more than 5 degrees at a time. Many families use this strategy to heat their homes. The same is true for pools. When extending your swim season by raising the heat of your pool, put it on a timer or change it in small increments at a time. In the end leaving your pool at a higher temperature is more cost effective and efficient than fluctuating the temp drastically when you aren’t using it.

What if you don’t have a pool?

Autumn is for Pool Planning

It seems a little backwards to buy a pool after swim season is over, but the truth is: now is the time to plan.

We are installing pools through December, and our schedule books deep into next year, so it is important to get your name on the calendar as soon as possible. More importantly, right now is when the little nuances of your yard and habits are fresh in your mind. If you wait a few months you might not remember where the sun shines best, where the leaves tend to gather, or which part of your deck and backyard is most convenient for lounging. All of these details factor into what size, shape and location is best for your pool. Thinking about a future pool could bring some warm thoughts to sustain you through the cool nights too!

What to know what to consider through all four seasons when planning your pool? Give us a call or stop into our new indoor/outdoor learning patio. We totally built a fully stocked patio inside and outside our office, so we can ignore the seasons completely.